City · Green Lake County, Wisconsin

Princeton, Wisconsin

Princeton is a city in Green Lake County, Wisconsin. It has 1,166 residents. Princeton, Wisconsin has a quality-of-life score of 65 out of 100 (high), ranking #5,435 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Wisconsin it ranks #338 of 396 cities and towns. It ranks best on violent crime rate (low), firearm deaths (low) and restaurants and bars (high). It ranks worst on pharmacies (low), public EV charging ports (low) and mental health providers (low).

65High

Quality-of-life score: #5,435 of 15,651 cities and towns
Wisconsin: #338 of 396 in WI
Population: 1,166 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 749.6 /mi²
FIPS code: 5565600

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety99#99/15,637
Economy27#11,372/15,631
Housing84#2,388/14,977
Health34#10,248/15,609
Healthcare37#9,867/15,650
Environment83#2,591/15,453
Education45#8,653/15,649
Infrastructure26#11,527/15,650
Community93#1,116/15,651
Leisure & amenities59#6,366/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Princeton, Wisconsin ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Green Lake County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Violent crime rate · low0 /100k
100/100Wisconsin 240 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureGreen Lake County value
Firearm deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Wisconsin 13.4 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGreen Lake County value
Restaurants and bars · high18.6 /10k
98/100Wisconsin 12.7 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGreen Lake County value
Rent-burdened households · low39.0%
97/100Wisconsin 43.7%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Mammography screening · high58.0%
97/100Wisconsin 53.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreen Lake County value
Property crime rate · low345 /100k
95/100Wisconsin 1,017 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureGreen Lake County value

Weaknesses

Pharmacies · low0.0 /10k
1/100Wisconsin 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGreen Lake County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.5 /10k
8/100Wisconsin 4.0 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyGreen Lake County value
Mental health providers · low88 /100k
12/100Wisconsin 282 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGreen Lake County value
New homes permitted · low0.0 /1k
13/100Wisconsin 4.4 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Broadband subscriptions · low85.0%
14/100Wisconsin 90.3%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Average weekly wage · low$973
14/100Wisconsin $1,272United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGreen Lake County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Rent-burdened householdsImproving
51.3% (2015-2019) → 39.0% (2020-2024)
−12 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateWorsening
13.8% (2015-2019) → 25.4% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.3% (2015-2019) → 85.0% (2020-2024)
+6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$41,771 (2015-2019) → $54,205 (2020-2024)
+30%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
30.7% (2015-2019) → 26.9% (2020-2024)
−3.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Average commute timeImproving
28.0 min (2015-2019) → 23.5 min (2020-2024)
−16%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Princeton, Wisconsin improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Property tax−0.5 points2.07% → 1.56%
Household income+30%$41,771 → $54,205
Broadband+6.8 points78.3% → 85.0%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Princeton, Wisconsin between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	28.0 min2015-2019	23.5 min2020-2024	−4.5 min	Within the margin of error	88%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.7%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Broadband subscriptions	78.3%2015-2019	85.0%2020-2024	+6.8 points	Improved	42%
Effective property tax rate	2.07%2015-2019	1.56%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Improved	91%
High school diploma or higher	90.6%2015-2019	92.7%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Home price to income ratio	2.1×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3822015-2019	0.3762020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	56%
Median household income	$41,7712015-2019	$54,2052020-2024	+30%	Improved	55%
Poverty rate	17.9%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	30.7%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	78%
Rent-burdened households	51.3%2015-2019	39.0%2020-2024	−12 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Unemployment rate	8.4%2015-2019	5.5%2020-2024	−2.8 points	Within the margin of error	88%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.8%2015-2019	7.7%2020-2024	+2.9 points	Within the margin of error	20%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Princeton, Wisconsin five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Princeton, Wisconsin in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Princeton, Wisconsin itself moved +8.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,166 residents (±177)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

541 households (±73)

Princeton, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Under $25k22%†119
$25k–50k23%125
$50k–75k22%†119

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

541 households (±73)

Princeton, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Own70%380
Rent30%161

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

609 workers (±125)

Princeton, Wisconsin
Wisconsin share

Drive alone73%444
Carpool8.4%†51
Public transit0.0%0

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Green Lake County, the county holding most of Princeton's residents.

Green Lake County has 463 employer establishments, 239 for every 10,000 residents (0.96× the US rate of 248; 0.98× Wisconsin's), with 4,954 paid employees at an average annual pay of $51,490. The Census Bureau also counts 1,532 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 463; 1,532 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 239; US 248 · Wisconsin 244
Paid employees: 4,954
Average annual pay: $51,490; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Green Lake County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	35	18	0.98×About typical	314	$16,729	4
Specialty trade contractors	28	14.4	0.93×About typical	101	$72,851	154
Religious organizations	25	12.9	2.32×More than typical	274	$28,077	—
Ambulatory health care services	24	12.4	0.59×Fewer than typical	114	$83,842	26
Full-service restaurants	24	12.4	1.61×More than typical	207	$18,266	—
Truck transportation	23	11.9	2.34×More than typical	230	$56,943	39
Construction of buildings	17	8.8	1.16×About typical	67	$48,791	126
Lessors of real estate	17	8.8	0.71×Fewer than typical	42	$36,786	158
Gasoline stations	14	7.2	2.23×More than typical	137	$27,745	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	14	7.2	1.07×About typical	52	$45,135	112
Automotive repair and maintenance	13	6.7	1.33×More than typical	80	$59,588	27
Drinking places (alcoholic beverages)	12	6.2	5.10×More than typical	30	$21,667	7

Rank places for an industry Open Green Lake County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 19,406 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Princeton, Wisconsin: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

13.2FY2018
14FY2019

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Princeton, Wisconsin, so they do not add up across cities.

Princeton, Wisconsin's figures are part of those of Green Lake County, WI ($13.7M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Princeton is mostly in Green Lake County.

See federal money in Green Lake County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Princeton, Wisconsin is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Glenn GrothmanR-WI-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 2.1%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Green Lake County78100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Green Lake County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5565600

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends